Sikes: Misguided campaign seeks to end rigs-to-reef efforts

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Many scientists believe the submerged portions of oil and gas platforms are more productive than natural reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. Others believe they constitute oil rig dump sites.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Dozens of corals and sponges attach to the legs of oil and gas platforms, providing the basis for entire ecosystems.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The submerged structures of oil and gas platforms have served as artificial reefs for decades in the Gulf of Mexico.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO About 450 retired oil and gas platforms in the gulf have been converted into artificial reefs. About 140 of them are off the Texas coast.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Hundreds of fish and other marine organisms populate rigs in the gulf, providing rich ecosystems to an otherwise barren sea bottom.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Those who have written or spoken in favor of rigs-to-reef programs include officials at Texas Parks & Wildlife, Saltwater-fisheries Enhancement Associaton, Coastal Conservation Association, Gulf of Mexico Foundation, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies and many noteworthy marine biologists.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The campaign to scrap rigs-to-reef efforts in the gulf include the Sierra Club, The Ocean Foundation, Greenpeace USA, commercial fishermen and shrimpers, the Sea Turtle Conservancy and others.

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Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO There is debate on whether these underwater fish havens benefit myriad marine life or simply make fish easier to catch. A group is trying to eliminate programs that repurpose rigs to create or maintain them as artificial reefs.

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CORPUS CHRISTI - Those of us who believe retired oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are productive ecosystems that enhance fish populations and habitat, provide angling opportunities and should remain as artificial reefs in perpetuity stand accused of being part of a clever and persistent oil industry public relations campaign.

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